An Invitation to Indian Cooking - Madhur Jaffrey [52]
Ten minutes before serving, wipe the shrimp again. Bring the brown sauce to a boil and drop in the shrimp. Stir and mix well; continue cooking and stirring at high temperature from 5 to 10 minutes, until the shrimp turn opaque.
To serve: Spoon into warm serving bowl and serve with a rice dish. Rice with Peas might be nice, with a vegetable, a dal, and a few relishes.
Shrimp with dill and ginger
SERVES 4–6
A piece of fresh ginger, about 1-inch cube, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
1 fresh hot green chili, finely sliced (use more or less as desired)
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups fresh dill, washed and trimmed
2 pounds medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
Place the ginger in the container of electric blender along with 3 tablespoons water. Blend until smooth.
Heat the oil in a 10–12-inch skillet over medium flame. When hot, put in mustard seeds. As soon as they begin to pop (10 to 15 seconds), add the following at intervals, continuing to stir and fry over medium heat: first, the paste from blender; after a minute, the green chili, adding a teaspoon of water if the mixture sticks; then the coriander, cumin, garam masala, salt, lemon juice; and after another 2 minutes, the dill and ½ cup of water, bringing to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Pat the shrimp dry and add to skillet. Turn heat to high, stir well and cook until shrimp turn opaque, about 5 minutes.
To serve: Serve with Buttered Saffron Rice and a salad. A relish with tomato or onion in it would also go well with this dish.
Shrimp, crab, or lobster, Kerala style
SERVES 4–6
This dish comes from Kerala, a state along India’s southwestern coast. Roasted coconut is added to the seafood to give it a thick, dark sauce. It is quite delicious.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium-sized onions, peeled and finely chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, about ¼-inch cube, peeled
4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
½ cup grated and roasted fresh coconut
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground coriander, roasted
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 tablespoons tamarind paste
½ cup tomato sauce
½–¾ teaspoon salt
2 pounds medium-sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
or 2 pounds uncooked lobster meat, cut into 1-inch pieces,
or 2 pounds uncooked crabmeat, cut into bite-sized sections
Heat oil either in deep 10-inch skillet or in 10-inch heavy-bottomed pot over a medium-high flame. Put in the chopped onions and fry, stirring, for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions are slightly browned, but soft. Turn off heat.
In a blender container combine the ginger, garlic, and grated roasted coconut. Blend at high speed until tiny grains are formed. Add contents of blender container to skillet or pot. Also add the turmeric, coriander, cayenne, tamarind paste, tomato sauce, salt, and ¾ cup water. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer gently for 5 minutes.
(This much of the recipe can be made up to a day in advance. Keep covered and refrigerated until ready for use.)
Seven to 8 minutes before serving, bring the sauce to a boil. Add the shrimp or lobster or crabmeat, fold in, and cook at high temperature, stirring continuously, until the meat turns opaque (about 5 minutes). The sauce should be very thick and cling to the meat, but if you desire a thinner sauce, add a bit more water.
To serve: Place in warm bowl and serve with a rice dish and some kind of dal. Masoor Dal with Vegetables would be good on this menu.
Baked striped bass with yellow rice
SERVES 4–6
Baked or sautéed pomfret is normally used in this recipe. It also seems to work very well with striped bass. A paste of onion, ginger, garlic, and turmeric is first browned in oil. The fish is covered with it and then baked. The yellow rice is served on the side.
1 striped bass, 3½–4 pounds, cleaned thoroughly, with head and tail still on
1 medium-sized onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
A piece of fresh ginger, 2